Campaign for Gender Balance supports call for more flexible working practices in order to increase the numbers of women in Parliament.

12.01.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 4th Sep 2008

Jo Swinson MP has today supported the call in the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report, Sex and Power, for more innovative and flexible ways of working to encourage more women into positions of power and influence. The report claims that current 'old-fashioned, inflexible' working practices create 'glass ceilings' which result in a disproportionately low number of women in top positions of power and influence across the public and private sector.

Parliament is one of the most prominent areas of under-representation, with women making up just 19.3% of all MPs in Parliament. The Liberal Democrat Campaign for Gender Balance, chaired by Jo Swinson MP, works within the party to change this situation, running training events and mentoring schemes, and proactively seeking out candidates of the future. This approach has proved successful in increasing the numbers of women candidates in the party and, significantly, those selected in winnable seats. Glass ceilings do exist for women in politics, but the Campaign actively encourages and supports female candidates to break them down!

Today's report by the EHRC further highlights the need to continue striving for gender equality, and the Campaign hopes to continue making progress in achieving better representation within the Parliamentary party.

Jo Swinson MP said:

'The Liberal Democrats, like the Equality and Human Rights Commission, are committed to more flexible and innovative ways of working as we believe this will benefit all employees; that is why it is our policy to extend the right to request flexible working to all. We are committed to improving the representation of women in Westminster and the Campaign for Gender Balance are working tirelessly to ensure change. Making the party more representative is one of the Liberal Democrat's core priorities and today's report will make us even more determined.'